Wooden shovel



(No Model.)

H. MIDDLETON.

v WOODEN SHOVEL. No. 352,341. Patented NOV. 9, 1886.

SSES

W 'JVE UNITED STATES HENRY MIDDLETON, OF HOULTON, MAINE.

WOODEN SHOVQEL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 352,34r1, dated November 9, 1886.

Application filed S ptember 23, 1886. Serial No. 214,358. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY MIDDLETON, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at Houlton, in the county oflAroostook and State of Maine, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Wooden Shovels; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters or figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification. I I

My invent-ion relates to certain new and useful-improvements in wooden shovels, the object of the same being to provide a shovel which will have a rear portion which is curved and provided with a back piece which is at tached to said curved portion, said back piece also serving as a bracefor the handle, while said handle also serves to maintain the wooden blade of the shovel curved, as desired.

My invention consists in the construction and combination of the parts, as will be here inafter fully set forth, and as is shown in the accompanying drawings.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate my invention, Figure l is a perspective view of a shovel constructed in accordance with my improvement. Fig. 2 is a sectional View, and Fig. 3 is a bottom or plan view.

A refers to the'shovel blade, the front portion of which is straight and is provided with a metallic tip, a, which preferably consists of a strip of malleable or sheet metal, which is bent so as to be V-shapedin cross section, and is secured to said tip by rivets a.

The rear portion of the shovel is suitably curved from edge to edge, so that it will be concave in crosssection, and to the rear portion of the blade is secured a back piece, B, the lower edge of said back piece being curved, while the endsb are beveled slightly inwardly, the upper edge, 1), thereof being on a straight line. This back piece, B, is secured to the rear portion of the shovetblade by means of suitable nails, 0, which pass through perforations in the binding-strip O, which extends from theuppcredge of the back piece, B, around the top and ends thereo f over the bottom portion of the shovel-blade, thus securing the.

back piece to the shovelblade and preventing the curved portion at the rear of the shovelblade springing out of position.

The back piece, B, hereinbefore referred to, is provided centrally with a cut-away portion, 0, adjacent to which are located the terminal portions of the bindingstrip O, and within said cut-away portion will lie the under side of the handle D.

The back piece, B, as well as its central portion, is provided with a perforation, d, through which passes a bolt, the head of which will lie upon the bindingstrip O. This bolt is adapted to be passed through the perforation d in the handle. so as to be secured thereto by. means of a suitable nut,beneath which is placed a washer. After the bolt has been passed through the perforation in the handle the handleis bent downuntil the end thereof comes in contact with the center portion of the shovelblade, when the plate F, having an upwardlycurved portion, is placed over the end of the handle and is secured to the blade by means of rivets e e, which pass through the side wings ofthe plate and through the shovel-blade, the opposite ends of said rivets engaging with washers fand platef, located on the under side of the shovel. The platef is provided centrally with a perforation through which passes a screw, which enters the under side of the curved portion of the handle.

It will be noted by the construction hereinbefore described that the part B and the lower portion of the handle coact so as to maintain the rear center portion of the shovel-blade in a curved position.

By curving the rear portion of the shovel, as hereinbefore described, the use ot'side pieces to said shovel is avoided without reducing the holding capacity ofthe shovel. The bolt which passes through the back pieceythc rear center portion of the shovel-blade, and the handle will thoroughly brace these parts to each other.

1. ln a wooden shovel,substantially as shown, a blade, A, having a rear curved portion, a back piece, B, having the under side thereof curved, and a handle attached to the upper edge of said back piece and to the shovel-blade in front of the same, substantially as shown, and for the purpose set forth.

2. In a wooden shovel, a blade having a straight front edge, the rear edge thereof being being recessed for the reception of the handle, curved in cross-section and provided with a a bolt, d, for securing the handle to the back back piece, B, a handle attached to the back piece, and a socket-plate, E, for the reception I 5' piece and upper edge of the shovel-blade, subof the front end of the handle, the parts being 5 stantially as shown. organized substantially as shown, and for the 3. In combination with a wooden shovel, a purpose set forth.

blade having a straight front edge and a curved In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in rear edge, a back piece, B, having the lower I portion thereof curved, a binding-strip, O, 10 encircling the upper and side edges of the back Witnesses:

piece and the lower rear edge of the shovel- FREDERIC A. POWERS,

blade, the center portion of said back piece HARRY M. BRIGGS.

presence of two witnesses. HENRY MIDDLETON. 

